GREENSBURG — Mars wanted to get off to a fast start in its Greater Allegheny Conference football showdown at Greensburg Salem Friday night.

Four touchdowns in the first 10 minutes did the trick.

Josh Schultheis ran for 135 yards and four touchdowns and Owen Nearhoof completed all three of his passes, including two more scores, as the Planets dominated the Golden Lions 49-7 at Offutt Field.

Greensburg Salem had upset visiting Hampton earlier this season and that was not lost on Mars coach Scott Heinauer.

“Greensburg played Hampton tough and we were concerned about that,” said Heinauer. “We wanted to get off to a fast start. We felt if we did that we could control the football game.”

“Our first five games came against Knoch, Hollidaysburg, Hampton, Franklin Regional and Mars,” said Lions' coach Casey Cavanaugh. “Those are probably the best five teams in the conference and we were overwhelmed at times.”

Friday's contest proved to be a mismatch from the start.

On the opening drive of the game, the Planets (5-0, 5-0) marched 60 yards in six plays and took the lead on Schultheis' 1-yard touchdown run.

The Planets went on to score touchdowns on their next six possessions. Included were Nearhoof's two scoring strikes — a 25-yard pass to wideout Chris Smith and a 42-yard pass to tight end Billy Shrock.

“It definitely feels good to see a lot of guys making plays,” said Nearhoof, who played just over one quarter. “I have to thank the offensive line. Those guys work hard all week and when they are able to open up the holes, it makes everybody's job much easier.”

What should concern Mars' upcoming opponents the most is that the team's offense has not yet peaked.

“We make things look good on the scoreboard, but when we watch film, our coaches still get on us for making mistakes,” Nearhoof said. “There's definitely room for improvement.”

Mars' defense was just as impressive. Greensburg had minus-8 yards of offense on its first five drives combined.

Special teams also played a part as Zach Edinger blocked a punt deep in the Lions' end, setting up Mars' first touchdown of the second quarter.

Leading 49-0 at halftime, Mars' backups saw plenty of playing time in the second half.

Jake Rosswog finished the game at quarterback. Running backs Sam King and Ori Rinaman combined for 93 rushing yards on 13 carries.

Reserves also saw time on defense and came up with a turnover.

After giving up a 62-yard completion from Lions' quarterback Dan Walters to wideout Denzell Jackson, setting Greensburg (1-4, 1-4) up at Mars' 8-yard line, the Planets forced a fumble and Josh McAuley pounced on it to end the threat.

“Our standards do not go down just because our second or third stringers are in the game,” Heinauer said. “We don't like to see opposing players running free down the field.”

Matthew White kicked seven extra points for the Planets, who will host Uniontown next Friday.